In the training ground.
At this moment.
With Xie Xiaojiu's defeat, everyone began to reassess Jiang Ning.
For those strong individuals, the ninth rank of martial arts was nothing special.
Reaching the ninth rank merely meant one had just stepped onto the path of martial arts.
Even stepping into the eighth rank wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Because this step could be achieved with external aids.
However, defeating someone like Xie Xiaojiu, who was already well-known, was a different matter.
This indicated that Jiang Ning was at least at the initial stage of the Divine Strength Realm, and most likely at the advanced stage.
Reaching this level wasn't something that could be accomplished with external aids.
It required mastering internal force to refine the resilience of one's muscles.
At such a young age, achieving this not only demonstrated decent talent in the superficial aspects of martial arts but also exceptional comprehension and extraordinary aptitude in martial techniques.
Only by possessing both and surpassing one's peers could one achieve this at such a young age.
Especially for those who knew about Jiang Ning, they were aware of his extraordinary talent.
Having practiced martial arts for just over three months, reaching this level, even with the help of a benefactor, was astonishing and left them in awe.
At this moment.
Lin Qingyi, sitting in a corner of the stands, narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Did this kid hide his true strength before?"
"After only three months of practice, he can already defeat Xie Xiaojiu?"
Compared to others, Lin Qingyi understood Jiang Ning's terrifying potential better.
While others couldn't discern Xie Xiaojiu's exact strength or where he stood within the eighth rank of the Divine Strength Realm, she knew very well.
She was fully aware that Xie Xiaojiu's strength was solidly at the advanced stage of the eighth rank, almost at its peak.
Because Xie Xiaojiu had already reached a point where he could no longer progress further within the eighth rank.
His muscle groups had been tempered to their limit.
Thus, in Lin Qingyi's eyes, Xie Xiaojiu's strength was formidable.
He had over a 90% chance of securing the position of team leader.
When Xie Xiaojiu stepped onto the stage, she believed Jiang Ning would inevitably lose to him, which was why she had given Jiang Ning a heads-up beforehand.
But after their battle concluded, Lin Qingyi also gained a clearer understanding of Jiang Ning's strength.
"This talent is too terrifying!"
"Could I have discovered someone in this remote place who can rival those two legendary figures?"
Thinking of those two peerless geniuses who left their contemporaries in despair, Lin Qingyi couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, shocked by her thoughts.
After all, one of those two was the Buddhist Son of the world's Buddhist sect, hailed as the reincarnation of Buddha.
The other was the Daoist Son of the world's Daoist sect, proclaimed as the reincarnation of the Daoist Ancestor.
These two, though not yet at the peak of their power and still outside the realm of the top three ranks, were universally acknowledged to eventually become grandmasters, if not reach the level just below Martial Saints.
Many even speculated that the second Martial Saint in 800 years would emerge from one of these two.
Lin Qingyi gazed at Jiang Ning's figure on the stage, lost in thought for a moment.
Then she nodded slightly. This kid was indeed a monster, and now he did bear some resemblance to those two.
However, one of those two had been nurtured by the collective strength of the world's Buddhist sect and had been reciting Buddhist scriptures for three years.
The other had been cultivated by the world's Daoist scriptures and had been studying Daoist texts for three years.
Jiang Ning, on the other hand, was only at the eighth rank, while those two had already been at the peak of the fourth rank for so long, making them incomparable.
Moreover, the resources and training Jiang Ning had received were worlds apart from those two.
It was unlikely he could rival them.
Nevertheless, if this kid could grow steadily, he would have over a 90% chance of becoming a grandmaster in the future.
He also had a more than 50% chance of reaching the level of a supreme grandmaster.
And who knows? He might even go further!
Such a seedling was indeed a potential goldmine!
Thinking this, Lin Qingyi murmured to herself, "Lin Jia'er has no fate with him, but that matter can still be arranged. I need to find him a wife!"
At the center of the stands.
"This kid is impressive!" Hong Minghu smiled.
Then he glanced at the Third Elder of the Medicine King Valley beside him, his eyes filled with warning. "You can't mess with this kid!"
"Understood!" Gongsun Yu immediately nodded repeatedly. After realizing that Hong Minghu's strength had already surpassed his, he obediently submitted.
Seeing this, Hong Minghu nodded slightly, a satisfied expression on his face.
Then he added, "After this is over, I'll have this kid come over to answer your questions."
"Thank you, Prefect Hong!" Gongsun Yu clasped his hands in gratitude, no longer as domineering as before.
He understood very well: if you can win, be assertive, and you won't lose out.
But if you can't win, and still act tough, that's just asking for trouble!
With Hong Minghu's status, if he were to take action and kill Gongsun Yu on the spot, the Medicine King Valley wouldn't be able to do anything.
Because Hong Minghu now represented the Great Xia Imperial Court and was the invincible Martial Saint of the current era.
That Martial Saint was about to make a major move and emerge from seclusion.
If someone like Gongsun Yu were to act recklessly, it would be fine, but if the entire Medicine King Valley were to move, it would be like a monkey delivering itself to be made an example of by the Inspectorate.
In today's world, although the Great Xia tiger was sick and its power was waning, a sick tiger was still the king of beasts.
Not to mention the Medicine King Valley, even the thousand-year-old Diamond Temple wouldn't dare to provoke it openly.
This was the greatest force behind Hong Minghu the Great Xia Martial Saint was his backing.
Meanwhile.
Among the Martial Academy students, Lin Jia'er silently watched Lü Renyao's back.
"Brother Lü, you must win! I don't want to become a laughingstock!" Lin Jia'er muttered to herself.
At this moment, she also felt a hint of regret for not listening to her aunt.
In front of the stage.
A white figure leaped up like a giant bird, gliding through the air.
In an instant, he landed on the stage.
"Nice to see you again!" Lü Renyao looked at Jiang Ning with a mocking expression.
"Are all Martial Academy students like you?" Jiang Ning shook his head slightly.
Hearing the sarcasm in Jiang Ning's words, Lü Renyao remained unfazed.
"What? Are you scared?"
"Enough talk, let's begin!" Jiang Ning said directly.
"Good, that's what I wanted!" Lü Renyao smiled.
Then he said, "I choose to compete in hand-to-hand combat. Put down your sword!"
After speaking, he looked at Jiang Ning with a half-smile.
Having just watched Jiang Ning's battle with Xie Xiaojiu, he had to admit that Jiang Ning's swordsmanship was exceptional.
Jiang Ning had reached the realm where the sword moved with his will, achieving unity between man and sword.
With such extraordinary swordsmanship, it was no surprise he had defeated Xie Xiaojiu.
However, from this, he also deduced that Jiang Ning's hand-to-hand combat skills must be lacking.
Because a person's time is limited.
A day only has twelve hours.
One must train both their martial arts and their swordsmanship.
And from what he had learned, Jiang Ning had only been practicing martial arts for a short time.
Unlike them, who had started training at the age of fifteen, when their bones had just fully developed.
With such a short period of training, reaching the eighth rank of the Divine Strength Realm while also excelling in swordsmanship and having impressive movement techniques was already remarkable.
Under these circumstances, it was obvious that hand-to-hand combat must be Jiang Ning's weak point.
This was Lü Renyao's judgment.
Thus, when he stepped onto the stage, he was filled with confidence.
Using one's strengths to attack the opponent's weaknesses how could he not win?
At the same time.
Faced with Lü Renyao's proposal to compete in hand-to-hand combat, Jiang Ning could only nod slightly.
According to the rules of the challenge, if the challenger chose hand-to-hand combat, the defender had to respond in kind.
Meanwhile.
Below the stage.
"Jiang Ning is in trouble now!"
"Yeah! This guy is a Martial Academy student, and not just any ordinary one!"
"I know a bit about the Martial Academy. In the academy, the ninth rank is one level, and the eighth rank is another. Those who surpass the eighth rank can take exams to advance to the prefectural academies. This Lü Renyao is one of the top students in the eighth rank at the Martial Academy, no weaker than those who have just passed the exams to become team leaders!"
"Does that mean Jiang Ning will also be stopped here?"
"Definitely! How can someone from our Luoshui County compete with a Martial Academy student from the prefectural city?"
"Yeah! How is that fair?!"
"Fairness? That word doesn't exist in this world!"
For a moment, the group discussing this fell silent.
On the stage.
Jiang Ning paid no attention to the discussions below.
He turned to the man overseeing the competition and said, "Sir, I need to return my weapon."
"Throw it over!" the man said.
"Yes!" Jiang Ning replied.
With a flick of his wrist, the long sword flew into the man's hand.
The man caught it and placed it back on the weapon rack.
At this moment.
"Ready?" Lü Renyao asked.
"Let's go!" Jiang Ning took a slight step to the side, his expression calm.
In the next instant.
Lü Renyao, who had been standing still, suddenly burst into motion, charging forward. His white robes billowed in the wind, making a flapping sound.
As he moved, his robes fluttered like the wings of a white crane.
Halfway through his charge, Lü Renyao's right hand shot out.
His sleeve flapped loudly, and his palm, already formed into a blade, seemed to be accompanied by swirling clouds.
"Layered Cloud Palm!" someone from the Martial Academy students' side exclaimed.
"Brother Lü isn't holding back at all! He's using his signature Layered Cloud Palm right from the start!"
"Yeah! Brother Lü's Layered Cloud Palm grows stronger with each strike. If you can't break his momentum, you're doomed to lose. He's not giving that kid any chance!"
"Of course! Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit. Since Brother Lü has stepped onto the stage, why would he hold back?"
"How many strikes do you think Jiang Ning can take?"
"I guess three!"
"I say two!"
"I say five!"
"Five? No way! Absolutely no way!!"
"Right, taking five strikes from Brother Lü is impossible! I also say two!"
For a moment, the Martial Academy students below the stage were abuzz with speculation.
On the stage.
Facing Lü Renyao's fierce attack, Jiang Ning remained unmoved.
Seeing Jiang Ning so calm and composed, Lü Renyao wasn't angered but instead felt a sense of caution.
"This won't be easy!" Lü Renyao thought to himself.
Then he mobilized all his strength, increasing the force of his strike by another third.
He didn't think Jiang Ning was a fool who didn't know how to dodge.
Jiang Ning's composure must mean he had something up his sleeve.
It's over!
Seeing Lü Renyao within a zhang (about 3.3 meters) of him, Jiang Ning thought to himself.
In the next moment.
Jiang Ning took a step forward, his fingers curling into a fist.
He threw a punch.
Five layers of internal force instantly erupted within his body.
Oh no!!!
Feeling the powerful wind pressure ahead, Lü Renyao's pupils contracted sharply, and he was filled with dread.
I was wrong!
Everything was wrong!!
These thoughts flashed through Lü Renyao's mind in an instant.
In the next moment.
He felt Jiang Ning's fist collide with his palm.
The overwhelming force, like a tidal wave, filled Lü Renyao with despair.
What hand-to-hand combat skills?
At this moment, Lü Renyao realized that in the face of such an absolute difference in strength, all skills were meaningless.
Lü Renyao now understood that the moment he chose to confront Jiang Ning head-on, his defeat was sealed.
Because Jiang Ning's strength was inhuman, more like that of a demonic beast.
Crack
The sound of bones breaking traveled up Lü Renyao's arm and into his ears.
In the next instant.
The punch that landed on his palm sent Lü Renyao flying off the stage.
"Too weak!" Jiang Ning frowned slightly, thinking to himself. "But I held back, so he shouldn't die. If he did, that would be troublesome."
Thinking this, Jiang Ning sighed inwardly.
"I was too reckless!"
"I went all out from the start!"
"I didn't expect Lü Renyao, who seemed so imposing, to be so weak. His strength wasn't even on par with Xie Xiaojiu's, which surprised me."
With this in mind, Jiang Ning shook his head slightly again.
Below the stage.
Seeing this scene.
Everyone's mouths hung open.
"Did I see that right?"
"You did!"
"Wow! Just one punch?"
"Yeah! Just one punch!!"
"That's insane!"
"Yeah! Insane!!"
"I thought this Martial Academy student was supposed to be strong? But he got knocked out with one punch?"
"Maybe it's not that the Martial Academy student was weak!"
"You're saying Jiang Ning is just that strong?"
"Exactly! Maybe Jiang Ning is far stronger than we imagined! Didn't you hear what those Martial Academy students were saying earlier? This guy who stepped onto the stage wasn't weak at all!"
On the stage.
"That strong?" The man overseeing the competition looked at Jiang Ning in surprise.
In the stands.
"That strong?" Hong Minghu also looked at Jiang Ning on the stage with surprise, his interest piqued.
"Well done! That's how it should be! This is satisfying!" Lin Qingyi looked at Jiang Ning, a smile on her lips, her interest in him growing.
Below the stage.
"So strong!!" Li Qing's eyes sparkled.
"Junior Brother Jiang is this strong?!" Zhou Xing was utterly amazed.
"Dammit! Why did I hesitate earlier?!" Wang Jin couldn't help but slap his thigh in frustration.
Then he thought to himself, "If I had known my disciple was this strong, I would've accepted Yu Yuan's bet earlier!!"
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